For most Greenpointers, early mornings will find us hitting the snooze button a few too many times. Others are out dancing. A recent trend has sprung up in North Brooklyn (and across New York City) – people hitting the dance floors before their morning cup of coffee.
A group named Morning Gloryville, whose motto is “rave your way into the day” really knows how to wake up by dancing hard to awesome music with great people in a fun setting.
Sometimes called braves for breakfast raves, the parties start at 6:30am and last until 10am, just in time for you to slide into work and many are conveniently located in North Brooklyn. Aside from the time, braves are different from other dance parties in that there is no alcohol or drugs, just dancing, conversation and fun. Morning Gloryville encourages people to bring their children and to have a different kind of experience.
“It’s about fun and love and spontaneity. We help workers relax their minds and get in their bodies,” says Annie Fabricant, Principal “Glory Agent” in NYC. They see it as a sustainable fun dance party.
People go for different reasons, but all have fun. Toby O’Brien of Williamsburg said, “It’s not just dance. There are elements of circ.” He loved the enthusiasm of the crowd.
Cindy Yi and her friend Thio Zang said, “We love working out, and don’t really drink.”
People wear anything from workout clothes to sundresses to beachwear and even work clothes. (Watch out, that button down gets sweaty pretty quickly with how hard you’ll be dancing.)
The trend started in London and now these morning dance parties take place in NYC, San Francisco, Dublin, Zurich, and Amsterdam. They are not the same every time, and constantly take advantage of new ideas, new vendors, new spaces, and new types of parties.
The crowds vary, but it tends to be a combination of a lot of different groups, Fabricant said, like yogis, those interested in wholesome lifestyles, ex-ravers who left the scene because of drugs but miss the dancing, free spirits, Burning Man attendees, creatives, parents and corporate employees.
Fabricant said, “people come because they believe in the concept. They feel the grassroots feel.”
Or they just love to dance.
In a normal club, people hide in the dark, or behind alcohol. Not the case at these parties. The goal of the parties, Fabricant said, is to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible.
“You can have natural highs and fun like you had as a kid just with your own energy and connections with others. The vibe is playfulness, fun, spontaneity, smiles, warmth, silliness, positivity, and completely energizing.”
So why should you come?
“It’s the best way to start your day,” said first-timer Mammad Mamoodi.
People at the last brave on July 16th were getting massages, doing yoga, jumping on trampolines, swinging on a rope swings, climbing ropes, dancing in bubbles, drinking coffee, making new friends, tossing giant beach balls in the air, and dancing on the bouncy floor of Brooklyn Zoo in Bushwick. The party before that was on the waterfront in Williamsburg in a sunny private loft with a giant roof for yoga, massage, treats, and taking photos of the unobstructed skyline.
Fabricant encourages all to “come and experience it for yourself! Unleash a bit of raw silliness.”
The next party is the 13th of August.
Have you ever been to a brave? Does it sound like something you would attend?